The Brief

• First case of chronic wasting disease detected in a wild deer in La Crosse County from a hunter-harvested adult buck

• La Crosse County’s deer baiting and feeding ban extended for three additional years under state law

• The fatal disease spreads when deer gather unnaturally around shared food sources

LA CROSSE (WKBT) — The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has confirmed the first case of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in a wild deer in La Crosse County, prompting an extension of restrictions on deer baiting and feeding.

The infected deer was an adult buck killed by a hunter within 10 miles of both Monroe and Vernon County borders.

The detection triggers automatic extensions of existing restrictions under state law. La Crosse County had been under a two-year baiting and feeding ban before this case was discovered. That ban will now extend for three additional years and will reset if future cases are found.

Monroe and Vernon counties already have three-year baiting and feeding bans in place due to previous detections within their borders. This new La Crosse County case will not affect those existing restrictions.

Chronic wasting disease is a fatal nervous system disease that affects deer, moose, elk and caribou. The disease belongs to a family of conditions known as prion diseases. CWD is spread through direct contact or contact with saliva, blood, feces or urine.

Wisconsin first detected CWD in wild deer in 2002, three years after the state began monitoring for it.

State law requires the DNR to impose a three-year baiting and feeding ban in counties where chronic wasting disease has been detected. Counties within 10 miles of a detection receive a two-year ban. If additional cases are found during an active ban period, the restrictions renew for another two or three years.

The disease has no known cure and is always fatal to infected animals. Scientists continue studying whether the disease can affect humans, though no cases of human infection have been confirmed.

Hunters and landowners in affected areas must follow the baiting and feeding restrictions to help prevent the disease’s spread.

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